Modern music often resembles the old saying “history repeats itself.” As decades pass, more and more artists regress into a dark cloud of past sounds. Rather than expand the horizons of their chosen genres, they seem to prefer sitting snuggly in the four corners of what has already been done. Sometimes it works, but more than often it seems to fail miserably. The odds never seem to be in their favor, as people often dismiss these “new bands” for their lack of authenticity. However, on Born Idiot’s Afterschool, the obvious sounds of the past Born Idiot embrace sparkle with a new creative edge, mixing slacker R&B with electro-pop, creating their self proclaimed sound of “old wave.”
Truthfully, I don’t know how I’ve never heard this term before. It’s simple, and an excellent way to describe this modern phenomena. It almost seems too obvious to slap those two words together, but as far Born Idiot’s concerned, the term incomparably captures their sound.
On the Rennes, France natives debut Afterschool, the band displays considerable growth from their 2015 single “Chillhood.” Their maturity is immediately noticeable on the opener track “In The Sofa”, a mellow summer track filled with gentle organs and fruit-loop guitar scales. The album is an easy listen, creating a subconscious ear worm swimming through your head. The album gets catchier as it continues, smoothly flowing through a mix of psychedelic guitars and a heavy use of background choruses. Where most slack-rock feels rather tiresome, Born Idiot produce complex layers of brilliance, segregating their music from anything of the likes of Homeshake, Mac Demarco, or Mild High Club.
Although I discovered Born Idiot on Bandcamp, Afterschool doesn’t sound like a Bandcamp release. Instead of dipping their toes in, Born Idiot blindly dive into the unknown, and the result is a matured love affair. They commit to their sound, separating themselves from clusters of bands that seem to be stuck between webpages on Bandcamp.
Their music is reminiscent of something vaguely familiar, I just can’t quite put my finger on it. Their sounds evolve as they glide from song to song, incorporating dozens of genres, making it difficult to develop a general synopsis of the story they’re telling. This confusion they cause on Afterschool seems to be what draws me in, as the songs paint themselves differently after each listen. The differences are subtle, but as you step back from the music they seem a little more pronounced after each play.
Afterschool is an enticing rock record, as it’s appeal is promptly delivered from the second you press play. Being a spring release, Born Idiot definitely know how to bring some sunshine into your world. They capture the beauty of internet obscurities, as they prove where they stand amongst the overcrowded body of up and coming bands. Born Idiot never seem to fall short of being a truly talented group, as they have assembled an elaborate instant classic that will be tough to challenge throughout the year in new music.
